Genius Chapter 193: Mage Raid

Chapter 193: Mage Raid

Translated by Karai of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: Addis

 

“Boss? How is the mage supposed to get in?”

“The mage can’t get in…”

“As soon as the mage goes in, they’ll be controlled. There’s no time to cast any skills.”

Other watching mage captains chimed in, the idea of sending a mage really sent chills down their spines. It was simply too bizarre—how could a mage even get in? Was the commander really thinking of sending them in recklessly just because they had numbers? Even if you’re going to sacrifice them, you can’t do it like this!

Mage professions include several types, like Daoist priests, array masters, mages, and magical swordsmen. The defining characteristic of these professions is their reliance on casting spells, which requires channeling time, and their frail bodies. The long casting times put them in a passive position on the battlefield, and their weak defenses make them the most vulnerable among all professions. This is why mages are usually the ones being protected in group battles.

But sending mages into the enemy crowd? That’s like making them the front line!

Even if you’re going to sacrifice them, you can’t do it like this! If the mages charge the front line, the people watching the live stream will think their group has gone crazy.

“Why can’t they get in?” Su Mo said casually, “Why else do you think I had you form a mage group?”

Everyone in the channel was momentarily confused. Wasn’t this mage group supposed to be for better attack coordination?

After some thought, BrokenOracle caught on, “You want the mages to go into the crowd and use control skills?”

It wasn’t impossible for mages to charge into the enemy crowd; it’s just that it had never been used in such a large-scale scenario before, more suited to small or medium-sized skirmishes. The operation required to rush into a crowd was extremely complex. In normal battlefields, mages needed cover from their teammates when controlling an enemy group, and even in small engagements of around 20 people, the mage might not make it back. Let alone in a fight with hundreds of people.

A mage entering the crowd would be killed within seconds.

Even if they had self-preservation skills to stay alive a bit longer, they wouldn’t be able to do much beyond that. The enemy wouldn’t give them a chance to cast any spells.

“Yes,” Su Mo explained, “but not all mages can go in. It requires mages with self-preservation skills and high mobility. Exclude magical swordsmen and Daoist priests. Magical swordsmen lack self-defense, Daoist priests have too many single-target spells with long casting times, and while array masters have short casting times, their arrays need time to stack.”

Magical swordsmen were out, Daoist priests were out, array masters were out…

That only left summoners and mages!

“I understand.”

A calm female voice appeared in the channel—Haitang, the only female commander of Ren Xiaoyao, spoke up. “So, you want to form a mage group.”

“Haitang, take two mage groups,” Su Mo said as he marked a spot on the map. A command marker appeared among the enemy crowd.

One of the mage captains asked in surprise, “This is…?”

“Climb the mountain,” the commander’s voice was cold and firm. “Jump to this position.”

The other mages were speechless.

One mage hesitantly said, “We only have five seconds of self-preservation.”

“Five seconds?” The commander’s tone was relaxed. “That’s enough.”

The mages were speechless.

Are you sure about that? Five seconds in the middle of the enemy crowd, and as soon as those five seconds end, they’re done for! If they activate their self-preservation skill before jumping in, they might not even last three seconds.

One mage said, “This doesn’t seem like a good idea. We’ll be controlled as soon as we get in.”

“Who said you should activate self-preservation when you go in?” Momo responded. “Activate crowd-control immunity when you jump, then use your self-preservation once you’re in the crowd.”

Mage: “???”

Meanwhile, within the Eclipse faction, the battle over the Chunqiu base had ended, but the pressure on both factions remained high. The Eclipse faction had to defend the Xia base, which was being assaulted by the Abyss faction, while also trying to break through the layered defenses at the Dong base.

“Taking the Chun base gives us an advantage, but with the rate we’re consuming buffs, Abyss will still have the upper hand with their resources if this drags on,” Kawaii noted, keeping an eye on their resource consumption. “We wasted two buffs in the assault on the Chun base.”

Sleep responded, “Wasted or not, taking the Chun base is the only way we have a chance to fight Abyss head-on.”

He continued, “Earlier, we were worried they’d choose the Chun base for easier support. Now that they’ve chosen the Dong base, it gives us an opportunity. If we didn’t take Chun, were we supposed to wait for them to defend it later?”

“But we have another problem,” CloudTraveller explained. “With fewer resources and using more buffs than the enemy, our assault on the Dong base will be significantly weaker.”

“It’s not just weaker; it’s hard to attack,” MidnightBell, who had rushed from Chun base to Dong base, added. He was stuck outside and unable to get in. “The Dong base has a warrior-cleric front line. Warriors are hard to kill, and clerics rely on healing items. The rest are assassins and other professions, giving them stronger burst and defense. If you want to take Dong, you’ll need to pull over another group and stack three more layers of buffs.”

The clerics were too agile, and chasing them didn’t stop their healing. The only way to stop their healing was to kill their summons. But when the summons were close to being killed, the clever clerics would just re-summon them, refreshing their health, making it nearly impossible to kill both the warriors and the healers.

Although they had nine groups at the Dong base, their profession composition and power were still slightly inferior to the assassin-led team they were facing. Additionally, Abyss faction’s group from the Chun base had come over to defend as well, making it even harder to break through.

“But this is also a good thing. They have fewer melee fighters there—most of their warriors and assassins are still here, and they’ve only left a small number of physical swordsmen and warriors over there,” MidnightBell said. “There’s still nearly two hours left. If we hold on like this, we can secure both the Chun and Xia bases, which would be very beneficial for us.”

The buffs from the Chun and Xia bases were exactly what they needed, and the close proximity of these bases would make it easier to arrange next week’s battle plans once they captured them.

CloudTraveller added, “That’s how we’re thinking, but the other side has Momo.”

At the mention of Momo, MidnightBell’s expression darkened slightly. He didn’t need CloudTraveller’s reminder to know that Momo was a tough opponent. “We’ve got twelve groups fighting their eleven. The Xia base is easier to defend and harder to attack, and their physical swordsmen won’t be able to break through. You’ve known this for a while, haven’t you?”

Momo wouldn’t make a basic mistake. With the assassins holding the Dong base, he likely had other tricks hidden at the Xia base. CloudTraveller kept his eyes on the Xia base, feeling slightly uneasy. He wasn’t worried about the Dong base, but something about the Xia base felt off, as if something unexpected was brewing.

“Something’s not right. Some of their people are moving back,” Kawaii suddenly said.

CloudTraveller immediately took a few steps forward. He happened to be standing on a high artificial point at the Xia base, allowing him to clearly see the dense crowd of Abyss faction players surrounding the lake. Just as Kawaii had said, the enemy’s formation was changing. The front line was still packed with physical swordsmen and a few warriors, while the middle was a mix of spellcasters and healers. However, the change was happening among some of the spellcasters.

From a distance, without locking onto individual players, it was hard to determine their exact professions. The only thing he could confirm was that some of the spellcasters were moving toward the backline.

“Watch out, they’re about to charge,” CloudTraveller’s mind raced as he noticed the spellcasters moving stealthily toward some higher ground hidden in the forest. He could no longer see them clearly. “Lightfoot? No, that spot isn’t high enough…”

Just then, a shout came through the command channel:

“Their physical swordsmen are charging—get ready to defend!”

“Warriors, activate Giant Mountain Shield and push forward! Crowd-control immunity! Make sure you don’t get scattered!”

“Watch out for the mages hiding behind the physical swordsmen, they might be prepping for support damage!”

***

In the livestream, viewers were watching the battle unfold at both the Xia and Dong bases simultaneously. With only two bases left, neither of the commanders was making any tactical troop movements, seemingly waiting for an opportunity to break through by exhausting each other’s resources in a tug-of-war.

The Dong base was much more active, while the Xia base seemed a bit sluggish and dull in comparison.

As the audience marveled at Abyss faction’s assassins repelling yet another attack from Eclipse faction, the commentators noticed a new development at the previously calm Xia base.

“The Xia base is shifting,” Miao Shou Kong Kong observed. “Some of Abyss faction’s people are moving up the mountainside.”

Shen Ye Tang Tou added, “Abyss definitely has the numbers advantage, but their front line is too weak. Moving most of their front line to the Dong base worked well early on, but now in the late game, they’re very passive. It looked impressive at first, but it’s going to be tough to adjust their troops in such a passive position.”

[True, but Abyss played really well in the early game.]
[The Xia base is in such an awkward spot, and the respawn point is far. Let’s see if Momo sets up a teleport point.]
[I think both sides might set one up. It’s just a matter of who does it first.]
[Wait, why is Abyss going up the mountainside? Are they planning to fly over using lightfoot?]
[That height isn’t enough, right? They’ll get shot down halfway.]

While the livestream audience was curious about Abyss faction’s movements up the mountainside, Eclipse faction was also keeping a close watch.

Eclipse faction players maintained their formation, fending off the Abyss faction’s attack, but CloudTraveller’s gaze remained fixed on the figures disappearing behind the Abyss faction’s lines. The ominous feeling grew stronger until he spotted figures on the mountainside, and the one leading them activated a skill.

CloudTraveller’s pupils contracted. “Disperse the middle group!”

At the same time, the viewers in the livestream also saw what was happening. At the edge of the mountainside, a group of mages had gathered, all of them activating the mage poison circle skill. A dark green circle of poison immediately radiated from their position, with an additional layer of purple aura surrounding it. As soon as their skills were unleashed, all the mages activated lightfoot and leaped directly into the middle ranks of the enemy formation.

“Poison circle!!” Miao Shou Kong Kong exclaimed in shock. “Abyss faction’s mage group has jumped into the crowd!”

“And gu circle too,” Wen Ding Tian Xia added. “Wait!! Summoners—summoners brought their summoned beasts with them!”

The gu circle and poison circle were signature skills of mages. In the mage skill system, there were two types of area-effect skills—poison circle for damage, and gu circle with delayed crowd control. The former dealt massive damage to enemies around the mage, while the latter applied delayed control effects like sluggishness and slow movement.

The gu circle was a delayed control skill with a unique effect. It didn’t deal immediate damage upon activation. Instead, its first round of control triggered 4 seconds after activation, followed by additional effects every 3 seconds, 2 seconds, and 1 second, for a total of four waves of damage and control.

Considering the time taken with lightfoot, it only took the mages 2 to 3 seconds to leap from the mountain and reach the enemy formation. Upon landing in the crowd, the first explosion of the gu circle erupted right in the middle and back lines of Eclipse faction. The slow effect immediately reduced the movement speed of the players, while the sluggishness buff drastically lowered their skill-casting speed. These soft control skills, combined with the double impact of the poison circle and gu circle, caught Eclipse faction completely off guard.

But it didn’t end there. Along with the mages, some summoners had also jumped.

Summoners lacked strong self-preservation skills, relying instead on the damage reduction from their summoned beasts. These summoners landed in the front lines of Eclipse faction, right within the healer’s range. As soon as they landed, their two summoned beasts—Qingluan and Leishi—landed as well. Qingluan unleashed a continuous area-of-effect damage, while Leishi delivered crowd control.

Miao Shou Kong Kong froze for a moment. “My god, that damage!”

“The mages didn’t die—they activated their self-preservation skills!” Wen Ding Tian Xia exclaimed in surprise. “Momo activated the buffs!”

When the mages and summoners made their jump, Abyss faction’s commander, Momo, had instantly activated five buffs. The large group at the Xia base, which previously had no buff advantage, suddenly gained two high-attack buffs, two control buffs, and one defense buff.

Some summoners died, but their control effects provided the physical swordsmen with a critical breakthrough opportunity. The physical swordsmen group seized the area controlled by the summoners, charging through the gap and meeting the mages head-on in the front line.

“It’s too late; the mages in the front are going to die…” Miao Shou Kong Kong began, but before he could finish, an array master forcefully jumped into the middle of the crowd. The multiple layers of defensive arrays stacked on him activated, and with the Divine Armament skill, a shield providing several seconds of damage immunity enveloped the frontline mages.

“UnchainedWanderer…” Wen Ding Tian Xia started to speak, and then the summoner’s bear appeared in the crowd. The towering figure blocked some of the targeted attacks, creating a visual blind spot. At the same time, all the physical swordsmen activated their great sword formations, immediately protecting the mages in the crowd as well as the mages charging in from behind.

Shen Ye Tang Tou sat up straight. “Double poison circles from the mages…? What was Momo thinking? Timing it like this?”

The gu circle was a range or delayed skill. While mages did engage with such circles on the battlefield, these skills were not strong controls; sluggishness and slow effects were soft controls. In small-scale battles, their control capabilities were weaker compared to Doaist priests or magical swordsmen. But in a faction battle with so many people, having multiple mages jump in simultaneously was like spreading a large-range gu circle across the ground. As long as the people in the crowd got caught, they would soon be controlled again by another gu circle after their initial control was broken.

The gu circle control had four waves, and as long as the mages didn’t die, the control would continue. And indeed, the mages did not die; they inexplicably survived within the crowd.

[How did the mages not die!?]
[What the heck, can the gu circle be used like this!?]
[The timing was so precise!]
[This is outrageous, so much crowd control!?]
[Did the array master just bring a defensive circle into the crowd to save them!?]
[Not only that, but the summoner’s bear was blocking vision, making it even harder to aim.]

The gu circle control, combined with the poison circle damage, was timed perfectly. The summoners risked their lives to pave the way, the physical swordsmen charged forward, and the mages disrupted the Eclipse DPS crowd with poison, throwing off their rhythm.

With the added buffs, the mages who jumped into the crowd dealt terrifying amounts of damage while absorbing attacks from all directions. Abyss faction, with this wave of coordinated crushing, pressed deeply into Eclipse faction’s ranks, splitting their encirclement in two and carving a bloody path through the middle.

Abyss faction’s mages initially resisted, thinking the commander had lost their mind when they were ordered to be the vanguard. However, their leader, Mage Haitang, agreed with Commander Momo’s strategy without hesitation and led the entire mage group up the mountain, ready to sacrifice themselves.

This suicide mission was both thrilling and terrifying. They first activated the damage-dealing poison circle, followed by the control gu circle. Finally, they activated their immunity skill and used lightfoot to leap into the crowd. At the moment they landed, the commander had deployed five buffs, and they immediately activated their self-preservation skills while enduring the crowd control effects.

It was almost unbelievable that they managed to activate their self-preservation skills, likely due to the gu circle’s sluggishness effect. The enemies failed to deliver a fatal blow in time, allowing them to use their self-preservation skills as if they were immune.

The self-preservation skills lasted only 5 seconds, so they could only survive in the crowd for that long. But at the moment they entered the crowd, some summoners paved the way with their lives, warriors and physical swordsmen charged over their bodies, array masters advanced with defensive arrays, and summoner’s bears blocked vision. As their self-preservation skills ended, they were supported by the main force’s great sword formations and massive healing spells thrown into the crowd.

It was a chain reaction of control, and if anyone faltered, all the mages would be wiped out.

But everything went exactly as planned. The uncoordinated mages, hearing the calm voice of the chief commander Momo from the command channel, executed their opening perfectly.

As anticipated by the commander:

“Mages, fall back. Magical swordsmen and Doaist priests, focus on output.”

“Array masters, maintain your support. Mages, fall back and assist with control.”

“Don’t retreat! Their front lines are low on health; push forward!”

“Warriors and physical swordsmen, protect the middle line. Keep pushing forward while attacking.”

“End the great sword formation and activate the giant mountain shield.”

Not only were the viewers in the livestream astonished, but Eclipse faction was also caught off guard by this maneuver.

[They really survived…] [Wow, can mages use poison circles like that!?] [The summoner’s Thunder Lion bought time for the warriors and physical swordsmen.] [With the self-preservation skills and the great sword formation, so many group heals were thrown into the crowd, only a small number of mages died.] [I thought the mage group was going to be completely wiped out.]

Miao Shou Kong Kong said, “With so many skills used up, they managed to break through the crowd, but it doesn’t mean they will be able to make it through.”

“Not necessarily,” Shen Ye Tang Tou’s gaze was full of seriousness. “They have follow-up damage.”

It was a chain of control coordinated by the mage profession, with mages, summoners, array masters, and front-line warriors and physical swordsmen forming a control and protection team. This intricate coordination not only protected the mages but also pushed into the crowd. However, the large skill expenditure was just the beginning; they still had magical swordsmen and Doaist priests waiting in the back to unleash their potential.

Had they lost burst skills?
No, their firepower was still intact.

Had they lost defensive skills?
Not necessarily. The Doaist priest’s defensive talismans and the magical swordsman’s great sword formation were still in play…

Abyss faction hadn’t used a large number of physical swordsmen, but they had utilized a significant number of mages to create a powerful offensive effect. They had both the ability to advance and the stamina to sustain their push.

Everything was timed perfectly, almost complementary.

Now, Abyss faction had breached Eclipse’s defenses and was looking at the vast lake and the Summer God boss straight ahead.

Within Abyss faction, everyone was still immersed in the recent thrilling developments when the commander’s voice came through again, “Mages, how long until the gu circle cooldown?”

The mages, who were outputting from within the crowd, responded, “?”

Haitang said, “15 seconds.”

“Then prepare yourselves,” the commander instructed. “Keep clearing the path.”

The mages were puzzled, “???”

More?

The mage said, “The magical swordsmen’s great sword formation isn’t ready yet…”

The commander replied, “Oh, no need for the sword formation; you go ahead.”

Apple coughed and said, “Good luck, there aren’t many of the magical swordsmen’s great sword formations left either.”

Strawberry commented, “Hasn’t it been charged once already? What are you afraid of?”

The other mages encouraged, “Hang in there!”

The mage weakly asked, “…Why is it still us?”

Amid the rising voices of encouragement, Watermelon rarely spoke up, “There’s only a first time and countless times; don’t you get it?”

The mages were speechless.

Momo asked, “You understand it?”

Watermelon replied, “I’ve heard about it; I don’t understand.”

Old Banana said, “…Watermelon, isn’t the usual saying ‘zero times and countless times’?”

Watermelon responded, “Can you shut up? Please.”